While Aaron wandered through the familiar yet unfamiliar streets, a sudden commotion ahead caught his attention. A small crowd had gathered, forming a loose circle around several figures at its center.
When he finally managed to push through, the sight that greeted him made him raise his eyebrows.
A young man stood surrounded by guards, his fine clothes and arrogant posture contrasting strongly with the people around. At his feet, a middle-aged man knelt, clutching his right hand and crying in pain.
"Trash! I told you to move! Didn't you hear me?" the noble snapped, his tone sharp and dripping with contempt.
It was as if the mere thought of the middle-aged man daring to disobey him was unbearable.
The kneeling man opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Seeing this, the noble's expression twisted into disgust, and he turned toward his guards.
"Break his legs. I don't want to see such filth again.", he said, his words casual, as if he were ordering breakfast.
Gasps spread through the crowd. Some people immediately stepped back, afraid of being caught in the noble's anger, while others lowered their heads and shut their mouths.
"No! Sto-"
A young voice rose just beside Aaron, but was quickly cut off.
"Quiet! Do you know who that is? His brother's an Ascendant!"
A man jumped forward and grabbed the boy's shoulders, his whispering voice trembling with fear and anxiety.
His father's words made the boy, who wanted to rush forward and help, stop in his tracks.
He was young and kindhearted, but not stupid. He knew what such an identity meant.
If he were to meddle in that noble's affairs, not only would he suffer, but his entire family and everyone he cared about would also be implicated.
The boy shut his eyes and held his breath, afraid to look at the next scene.
Moments later, the sound of bones snapping echoed through the street. The noble didn't even glance back as he walked away, his entourage following half a step behind.
"Thank you, gentleman! Thank you for your forgiveness!"
The middle-aged man, his legs now bent in different directions, knelt on the ground and kowtowed towards the noble's departing figure, tears streaming down his face as he forced a smile.
Aaron watched silently, his expression unchanged.
When he saw the crowd around him disperse, returning to their lives as if nothing had happened, he could only sigh and turn away.
He had seen such things too many times.
There was a time when he had just been like that boy, wanting to rush forward and fight against injustice. Unfortunately, he later came to understand how this world worked.
Here, whether inside or outside the City's walls, life was cheap and rules meant nothing. Strength and power were the only two things that mattered.
'Compared to this world, the Earth of my previous life was a paradise. At least there, most people could live their whole lives without seeing death up close. Here, seeing your neighbor die is a common occurrence.'
**
Having witnessed the previous incident, Aaron was no longer in the mood to wander around the City.
After he navigated through the narrow streets, he soon stopped before a small, square structure, wedged between similar buildings.
The door was half-broken, patched with mismatched metal pieces and wooden boards, while the walls were filled with scars and cracks.
This building, which looked more like a ruin than a house, was actually Aaron's home- the only thing his parents had left behind.
Aaron pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Silence and the faint smell of dust greeted him. A single mat lay in one corner, while a rickety table stood opposite it.
A broken mirror leaned against the wall, its fragments reflecting what little sunlight passed through the narrow gap that served as a window.
Aaron pulled out a chair and sat down, his eyes subconsciously falling to the mirror.
His own figure was reflected in his eyes- a young man with messy dark hair, blue eyes, and a pale face. His body was thin, looking malnourished, while his clothes were torn in several places and had clearly been patched many times in the past.
Aaron didn't pay attention to his appearance. Instead, his mind drifted toward everything that had happened before.
The mysterious temple, the awakening of the so-called unique Soulweaver Class, and the battle with the rat monster kept looping in his mind.
"Interesting...", he muttered with a faint smile on his lips.
His voice came out hoarse, roughened by the heat and dust in the room.
He was about to get up and fetch some water when a thought crossed his mind.
He glanced at the half-empty water bottle in the corner, and his mind moved.
A familiar blue thread shot from his hand, wrapping around the bottle and bringing it up.
'Sure enough... being an Ascendant is different...', he sighed, as if he had only now found the true potential of his abilities.
He uncapped the bottle, ready to take a sip, when he suddenly paused.
He could feel something vibrating inside his shirt.
Aaron frowned and reached into his clothes, pulling the culprit, a jagged shard, out.
The shard was deep violet in color and had a gem-like texture, while golden veins ran across its surface, twisting mysteriously. Coupled with its constant pulsing, Aaron almost had the illusion that it was alive.
'Is it this thing?'
Aaron's face hardened.
This violet shard was a spoil of his battle with the rat monster, an object he had discovered after rummaging through its corpse.
He didn't recognize what it was, nor did he know whether it was precious, but he kept it out of pure curiosity.
'I've been carrying it for so long, and nothing happened before. Why react now?'
Then he remembered something, and his eyes shifted toward the thread still hovering above his other hand.
'Could it be...?'